The Montenegro State Lending Library for the Visually Impaired noted one more successful appearance on this year’s, the 19th in a row,Herceg Novi [Hertsehg Novi]fair “Trg od knjige”[tergodkhniggeh] (Book Market). The Library appeared as the only publisher of publications in accessible formats. Its book stand had issues both in audio format and in braille. This significant activity provides additional assertion of the Library’s overall work and accomplished endeavours both in the wider cultural circle and among its users.That is especially relevant for the Library’s overall cultural engagement and further strengthening of its reputation.
The international book fair“Trg od knjiga” was open for the 19th time on Belavista[bella vista] on Wednesday, 21st July 2021. This year’s fair was staged under the slogan of Fyodor Dostoevsky: “To stop reading the books – means to stop thinking”. Thirty publishers from the country and region exhibited on the fair,which lasted to 28thJuly. Speaking at the opening, President of the Herceg Novi Municipality, Stevan Katić[Steh-vahnKahtich]pointed out that the words of the grand Dostoevsky, which are this year’s “Trg od knjiga” slogan, have a fateful meaning today maybe more than ever.
“We live in times of digitisationand fast data transfer, which makes it possible for us to obtain an abundance of useful information which, it appears, we understand and apply less because our sight is blurred by transient values and unbearable speed at which we live. Knowledgeaggregatedforthousandsofyearsis more easily available than ever in the human history but there are less and less those who are oriented towards the quest for it. That is why books are relevant because they they penetrate deep below the surface, they ask of us toreflect on the world and ourselves, to know, understand and reflect what is different and unalike“, he said.
Fornearlytwodecades, theinternationalfair“Trgodknjige”persists in its mission to promote the written word’s worth in Herceg Novi, the town which many great writers called their home and inspiration. The City Library and the Secretariat for Culture and Education of Herceg Novi Municipality made effort, both this year and last year, in the midst of pandemic, to preparea high quality programmefor the audience of all generations:
“Beside the contents dedicated to the grand names of world literature and contemporary authors, it is also important that special places in the Fair are occupied by publishing for children and those from Boka”, said Katić andsaid that, in the most difficult of times, we all need to jointly preserve culture, nurture it and invest in it.
“Culture, as well as culture of reading books, is our reflection – if we let ourselvesneglect it, whatever a plague befell us, we will commit a sin both against ourselves and those who will come after us”, Katić concluded.
The fair was open by the allocution of the “Trg od knjige” long-time associate, poet and literary critic Želidrag Nikčević[ZhelidragNiktchevich]. Nikčević commenced his word“Greetings toAndrić’sTown from Andrićgrad[Andrichgrad]“ with the assessment that he himself spiritually matured on the“Trg od knjige”and witnessedthe events that made Herceg Novi “a town with magnificent literary and spiritual traditionwhich must stay that way”.
He skilfully accentuated the influences that, “under our Balkan sky”, both to Herceg Novi and Andrićgrad, were leftby“student from Topla“, Petar II Petrović Njegoš[Pehtar II PetrovichNeggosh], who established“ourcultural and political grammar”and Ivo Andrić [Ivo Andreech] whose“prosefound its home right in Novi”:
“Here, along this section of coast, from Savina [Suvvina]to Topla, young Rade Tomov [RahdehTormov] walked, here he saw a book for the first time and spelled first words, to sky rocket from here to Lovćen[Lorvtchen]where he began writing his genial poetry in the heights. This particular student fromTopla, arranged our national interior, spiritual one and Orthodox onewith his shiny verse.With his mental and emotional strength, he established our cultural and political grammar”, he stated.
He emphasised that, in Andrićgrad, we can visually include both Njegoš and Andrićjust as we can do it in Novi.
“When you go out on a main square in Andrićgrad, you can simultaneously visually embrace monuments of Ivo Andrić and Petar II Petrović Njegoš.That encounter on the square is, in my experience, an everyday magnificentartistic endeavour. An incarnated fantasy of one of the greatest writers and one of the greatestfilm artistsof the present day, Ivo Andrić and Emir Kusturica [Emir Koostouritsa]. Good people of all religions and nations walk both alongAndrićgrad and Herceg Novi.On both of their squares floats the joy of free creativity”, Nikčević said.
Eight individual literary and cultural programmes were realised on the Fair.And awards for the best publishing ventures in the previous year were presented on the last evening of the event.
